Careful study into tea industry

Channa BANDARA WIJEKOON

The Sri Lanka tea industry and various implications to it are to be carefully studied by the new Tea Board Chairman Susantha Ratnayake.

“Consultation of all stakeholders to seek their views has already commenced and within a short period of time strategies will be formulated to take the industry forward,” Ratnayake told Daily News Business. He said there are no fixed notions as to how the impediments in the industry is addressed. He stressed the importance of listening to stakeholders before coming up with short and long-term plans to add muscle to the industry.

Answering a query Ratnayake said more and more tea imports being allowed for packaging and blending has become a controversial issue, which will be addressed in due course and corrective decisions taken.

Sri Lanka plays a major role as a leading tea exporter and has secured the third place as an exporter, while China and Kenya hold the second and the third places respectively at present.